Why you can’t delay applying
The metal particle in the cornea begins to oxidize within a few hours, a rusty ring forms around it, which the doctor has to remove separately, and after healing, persistent clouding may remain. The sooner the foreign body is removed, the smaller the trace. The procedure is performed after drip anesthesia under a slit lamp with a special needle or bur and takes several minutes. You should not rub your eye yourself or try to pick out a particle - this will deepen the damage. After removal, drops are prescribed, and the eye heals in 2–3 days.
Why is the drug injected into the eye?
The eye is separated from the general bloodstream by a blood-ophthalmic barrier: the medicine taken in tablets reaches the retina in a negligible concentration. Therefore, local administration is widely used in ophthalmology - drops, injections under the conjunctiva, parabulbar, retrobulbar and directly into the vitreous body.
The deeper the drug is injected, the higher the concentration in the desired area, but the stricter the requirements for sterility and technique.
Types of drug administration
- subconjunctival - under the mucous membrane of the eye
- parabulbar - in the tissue around the eyeball
- retrobulbar - behind the eyeball, closer to the optic nerve
- intravitreal - directly into the vitreous body
What is important for the patient to know
Injections are performed after instillation of anesthetic drops, so pain is minimal. A slight hemorrhage under the conjunctiva after an injection is a common and safe occurrence; it resolves in 1–2 weeks. You should consult a doctor if pain increases, vision decreases, and redness increases a day after the procedure.